Coin chute mechanism



June 6, 1933.K Q SUPER -r ALI 1,912,802

GOIN CHUTE MECHANI SM FiledrApril 1. 1951v 3 Sheets-Sheet l [72 @en fom Chas/es Sly/oef June 6,1933. c. 4szw-ER ET AL COIN CHUTE MECHANISM 5 sheets-sheet 2 Fi1ed.Apri1 1. 1951 z a en ford.

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June 6, 1933. -c. szYPr-:R Er AL 1,912,802

COIN CHUTE MECHANISM Filed April l. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 /72 venray@ 5y www. M, mwst @M Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT oFFlcl-z CHABLIS BZYPEB AND' mBY IIHALEK, Ol' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOBS T0 O. D. JENNINGB d: COHPANY, l' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS COIN CHUTE IICHANIBI Application nea apra i, nasi. mm no. mm.

This invention relates to a coin controlled y apparatus such as a vending machine.

onsiderable trouble has been experienced in the past by roprietors `or usersof coin controlled ven ing machines due to the practice of using spurious coins. Many devices have been arranged to detect false coins and to prevent the operation of the machine upon the use of such a coin. These devices, however, do not give any indication of the presence of-such coin in the machine in order to prevent subsequent futile attemptsto use the machine, nor do they give an indication of the presence of a spurious coin to enable the proprietor lof the machine to apprehend the user during the playin thereof or after the coin has been playe Diiiculties have also been encountered where a coin chute of any substantial length has been employed due to crowdin and overlappin of the coins therein or uel to failure of t e coins to pass along the. chute V in theproper manner.

' along the coin chute in such a manner thati positively fed and prevented' 'each coin is and It is the purpose of this 'inventiomtherefore, to provide a coin controlled mechanism suitable for use ina vending machine, for

example, in which a pluralit of coins are always exposed to view an in which a selected coin in the chute will control the operation of the machine and to provide means for' positively conveying the coins frm overlapping or jamming with adjacent coms.

In accordance with this invention a relatively long chute having a transparent wall is employed which will expose to view a plurality of coins in the chute. Means are provided for throughout t e entire vlength of the chute such thereof. f p

Other novel features ofthis invention and their resultant advantages will be apparent.

as 'to prevent overlapping from the followin description givenin connection-withsthe Illustrative forms of .this invention shown inthe drawings, inlwhich':

Fig. 1 is an end elevation ofthe com'eonositively feeding the coins for supporting or spacing'the coins in' trol mechanism portion of a vending machine;

Fig. 2 is a rear .elevation of the ooin control mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation ofthe, coin 55 control mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section 'taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 .is -a fragmentary section taken'60 on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; v g

Fig. 6 is a detail of a single llink of the conveyor chain; l

Fig. 7 is a perspective. view of the lock- Jin lever' Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a fragment 65 of the coin chute illustrating a slightly modied form of conveyor chain.;

fFig. 9 is a section on line,9-9 of Fig. 8;

and l Fig. 10 is a rear elevation of a modified 70 spacing bars 4 and 6 extending along the marginall edges of the' two plates 2 and 3, and spaced apart sufficiently to sage of a coin 5 therebetween. lates 2 and 3 and spacers 4 and 6 are clamped together by any suitable clamping means 7. The space thus provided between back plate 2, front.

aterial such as 80 rmit pasplate 3 and spacers 4 and 6 provides arela- 9 tively long L-shaped coin c provided whichcommunicates with one end of the coin chute and ides the incoming coins thereinto. -The le ute lis arranged to 5 p discharge the coins into a receptacle 9.

In order to positively feed andspace coins within the chute to revent overlaping thereof, a conveyor cham 11 is provided which travels over a pair of l ute.` Near the forward end of theplates a mouthpiece 8 is sprockets 12 10 usl and 13 journalled upon short shafts 14 and 16 respectively, the latter being secured to the inner plate 2. Selected links of the conveyor chain are provided with fingers 17 that extend through slots formed in the inner plate 2 and project into the coin chute in the path of the coins. These fingers are arranged to enga e the coins 5 approximately in the center t ereof and are suiicient in number and so spaced as to rovide successive ockets for the coins. e `fingers thus positlvely en age each coin to move it along the chute an to positively space each coin and prevent its crowding the adjacent coin.

In order toy drive the conveyor chain a lever 18 is pivoted to theend frame 1 at 19 and is provided with an operating handle 20. Lever 18 also serves to actuate any desired vending mechanism (not shown) through. a connecting rod 21. The lever 18 is operatively connected by a link 22 to a vertical pull rod 23, the latter being held against lateral movement by a tongue 24 projecting outwardly from plate 1 and engagin in a slot 26 in rod 23. The upper end of r 23 is ivotally connected to one end 27 of a lever 28, the other end of which is journalled upon/shaft 14. Intermediate its ends and adjacent end 27, lever 28 is provided with a pivoted usher dog 29 having a reduced projecting nger 31 (providing shoulder 32 where it joins the pins 33 projecting laterally from a disc 34 secured to the hub -36 of the sprocket 14 for rotation therewith. Dog 29 is maintained in engagement with pins 33 by spring 37. A

friction device 38 is arranged to contact disc 34 to retain the disc and conveyor chain sta,- tionary while the dog 29 is retracted toassume a new stroking position. The friction de# vice will alsol serve to keep the conveyor chain from being jarred around during shipments or by attempts to abuse the machine. From the foregoing it will be 4observed that as handle v2O is pushed downwardl to rotate lever 18 about its pivot 19, purl rod'23 willpull lever 28 downwardly and cause shoulder 32 of dog 29 to engage a pin 33 and rotate disc 34 about its shaft and move the conveyor chain to carry a coin one step along the chute. The pins and movements of the levers and rods previously mentioned are so designed as to impart a movement to the conveyor `chain equal to' substantially the diameter of one coin upon Aone movement of handle 20.

Inorder to lock the coin control mechanism against operation unless there is a coin in the 'chute at some predetermined position, a locking rod 41 is pivoted intermediate its ends at 42 to a bracket l43 secured to rear plate 2. One end of the rod is provided Vwitlran inwardly projecting 'finger 44 which projects into the coin chute og. Finger 31 and its s'ho`ulder 32 are arranged to engage 'an even longer coin chute is to engage a coin therein if present. The

lever 41 will be swung about its pivot .by-

spring 48 (Fi 5) to cause pin 46 to enter a recess 49 ig. 1) formed in slot 47 and prevent downward movement of pull rod 23.

It is obvious that the lever 41 may be made of any desired length in order to bring .the fin er portion 44 -into any desired posi tion a ong the chute. In the illustrated form it is extended so as to contact the coin nearest the entrance to the chute.

Referring to the form of'this invention illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, it will be observed that the structure is similar to that described in connection with Figs. 1 to 7 with theA exception that the fingers 17a formed upon links 11 of the conveyor chain are arranged to engage the coins below the center thereof in order to permit the coins to be closer together in the chute and thereby give greater capacity to the chute and ex ose more coins' to view. Y

nl the modification illustrated in Fig. 10, providedby doubling the chute upon itself, 1. e. forming the chute in two connected rows one superimposed upon the other and utilizing both stretches of the conveyor chain to move the coins continuously through the chute. l

chute 'is of U-formation and is with a mouth iece .51 which con ucts the coins into the eading end of the coin chute 52 formed, as previousl mentioned, between two spaced plates. ne end, ,the upper stretch, of the chute iscurved as at 53 and the chute continues below a partition 54," discharging as at 55`into a suitable coin retion. The actuating mechanism for the conveyor chain comprises a curved lever 59 hav- It is obviousfrom the fore oiiig descrip- 58 is yconsiderably tion that there has been provi edv a coin cn- 2.1.36'

trol mechanism for a vending machine in which a lurality of coins are visible at all times and in which the coins are positivel fed through the chute without any possibi ity of overlapping or jamming and 1n which the entire coin control mechanism is positively locked against operation unless a coin is inserted in the chute at a prescribed point. The entire mechanism may be economically manufactured and is not unsightly to the e e.

yIt is obvious that minor changes may be made in the details of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention as defined in the claims appended here- We claim:

1. In a coin controlled apparatus, a coin .o

chute of suiiicient length to accommodate a lplurality of coins in succession rior to reachin discharging position, an 'a conveyor c ain, said chain'having means there- Y on' for engaging each ofthe coins in said chute for positively simultaneously feeding said coins through said chute, said means being arranged to permit the coins to abut but prevent overlapping.

2. In a coin controlled apparatus, a coin chute of suicient length to accommodate a plurality of coins in succession prior to f reaching discharging position, a conve or. chain having projecting fingers extending from certain links thereof for positively, simultaneousl feeding each of the coins through sai chute, means for driving said chain'con'tinuously in one direction, means for locking said latter means against movement and means for releasing said locking means upon the presence of a coin at a pre- 0 determined point in said chute. Y

3. In a coin controlled apparatus, a coin chute of suicient length to accommodate a. plurality of coins in spaced succession prior to reaching discharging osition, means for advancing coins throug said chute comprising a conveyor chain extending through a substantial portion of said-"shnte and .naving coin spacing anden 'ng means there on, means for moving said chain continuously in one direction, and means for preventing movement of the chain in the opposite direction.

4. In a coin`controlled apparatus, a coin chute of sullicient length to accommodate a plurality of coins in spaced succession prior to reaching discharging position, means for positively simultaneously feeding all of the coins in the entire chute, means for arresting the operation of said feeding means, and means adjacent the entering end of said chute for releas said arreaing means upon the presence o a coin at the entrance of I said chute.

5. In a"'coin controlled ap aratus, a continuous coin chute arranged) to support a neously feeding all of said coins through said chute.

In witness of the foregoing we ax our signatures.

CHARLES SZYPER. EMERY MIHALEM 

